The Forgotten Realms added vast regions in the late 1980s/early 1990s. Kara-Tur, introduced in the AD&D Oriental Adventures hardcover, was added to the east portion of the continent Faerûn (1988). Then the Horde campaign (1990) connected East and West by way of pseudo-Mongol horsemen. Finally, Maztica (1991) was “discovered” across the Trackless Sea to the West, a fantasy version of real world Central America.
Map is adapted from the Forgotten Realms Atlas (1990).
These box sets added vast lands and new cultures to the Forgotten Realms. This was a distinct shift from the original FR by Ed Greenwood.
This changed when other authors began adding their own settings to Greenwood’s world, because unlike Greenwood they often used real-world cultures as a touchstone. Technically, this practice started with the Celtic-influenced culture of the Moonshae Islands, but Kara-Tur was the first big expansion in this direction. Greenwood also notes that the real-world correlations extend beyond the major additions to the world to also include “recastings of my largely-offstage kingdoms like Unther and Mulhorand to more closely resemble real-world historical (or ‘Hollywood historical’) settings.”
Greenwood disagrees with the results, saying that “the too-close-to-our-real-world additions like Maztica, the Hordelands, and Kara-Tur were a mistake in style”. He thought that they “[pulled] gamers out of roleplaying into disputes about historical details, for one thing”.
Shannon Appelcline (Kara-Tur: The Eastern Realms)
Each of the trio had a handful of follow-on sourcebook supplements and adventure modules (more on them later). Horde and Maztica even had a fiction novel trilogy.
But all three campaign settings quickly petered-out. Kara-Tur had the longest run, with modules released after the Oriental Adventures hardcover (1985), and durings its brief revival under the move to the Forgotten Realms.
I’ve got all 3 core sets passing through the shop at the moment. As with other TSR boxes, they are full of materials for gamers to lose over the decades. Is your box complete, or not? So let’s deep-dive into them with some reference photos!
Kara-Tur
Kara-Tur: The Eastern Realms [BOX SET]
CONTENTS: 2 sourcebooks; 4 poster maps; 2 mylar map overlays.
1988 … TSR 1032 … ISBN 0880386088
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The Oriental Adventures / Kara-Tur product line at my classic RPG Reference site (Modules, Monstrous Compendium sheets, and even a Trail Map!)
Box
Cover art by Jeff Easley
Volume 1 (96 pages, no TSR product code)
Cover art is the same as the box lid. Interior art by Jim Holloway, many wonderful full-page illustrations!
Volume 2 (96 pages, no TSR product code)
Many writers. See the Credits page.
Kara-Tur is massive, including:
- Imperial China (“Shou Lung“)
- Warring States China (“T’u Lung“)
- Tokugawa Japan (“Wa“)
- Sengoku Japan (“Kozakura“)
- Mongolia (“Plain of Horses” or “Hordelands” after release of Horde box set)
- Eastern Siberia (“Northern Wastes“)
- Korea (“Koryo“)
- Tibet (“Tabot“)
- Indonesia (“Island Kingdoms“)
- Indochina (“Jungle Lands“)
Maps
Kara-Tur poster maps are all printed on both sides!
The Horde
The Horde: Barbarian Campaign Setting [BOX SET]
CONTENTS: 2 sourcebooks; 4 poster maps; 4 Monstrous Compendium sheets; 24 cardsheets; mylar map overlay.
1990 … David Cook … TSR 1055 … ISBN 0880388684
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The Horde product line at my classic RPG Reference site (3 Modules)
Box
Cover art by Larry Elmore.
Volume 1 (64 pages, TSR 1055XXX1901)
Doug Chafee is credited with the cover art and interior illustrations.
Volume 2 (64 pages, TSR 1055XXX1902)
Monstrous Compendium sheets (4)
Monster art by Tom Baxa.
These MC sheets are double-sided of course, which is why TSR numbers them as 8 pages.
Maps
The maps are printed on one side.
Transparent Overlay
Cardsheets (24)
Maztica
Maztica Campaign Set
CONTENTS: 3 books and 4 poster maps.
1991 … Douglas Niles & Tim Beach … TSR 1066 … ISBN 1560760842
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Maztica product line at my classic RPG Reference site (3 Modules)
Box
Box art by Larry Elmore.
A Journey to the True World (96 pages, 1066XXX1901)
“A Guide for the Adventurer”
Cover art same as box lid. Interior art by Valerie Valusek.
Maztica Alive! (64 pages, 1066XXX1902)
“A Guide for the Dungeon Master”
Cover art by Fred Fields.
Gods and Battles (32 pages, 1066XXX1903)
“Portfolios and Statistics for the Dungeon Master”
Cover art by Fred Fields.
Maps (4)
“Voyages to the True World” (1066XXX0701)
How to get to Maztica from the Sword Coast.
1066XXX0702
1066XXX0703
1066XXX0704
The maps are all printed on one side.
See Also:
More historical based RPGs and settings: